WAC 246-101-301

Notifiable conditions and health care facilities.

This section describes the conditions that Washington's health care facilities must notify public health authorities of on a statewide basis. The board finds that the conditions in Table HF-1 of this section are notifiable for the prevention and control of communicable and noninfectious diseases and conditions.

(1) Health care facilities shall notify public health authorities of cases that occur in their facilities of the conditions identified in Table HF-1 of this section following the requirements in WAC 246-101-305, 246-101-310, 246-101-315, and 246-101-320. This is not intended to require health care facilities to confirm the absence of conditions listed in Table HF-1 in facility patients.

(2) Health care facilities may choose to assume the notification for their health care providers for conditions designated in Table HF-1 of this section.

(3) Health care facilities may not assume the reporting requirements of laboratories that are components of the health care facility.

(4) Local health officers may require additional conditions to be notifiable within the local health officer's jurisdiction.

Table HF-1 (Conditions Notifiable by Health Care Facilities)

Notifiable Condition

Time Frame for Notification

Notifiable to Local Health Department

Notifiable to State Department of Health

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Within 3 business days

√

Animal Bites (when human exposure to rabies is suspected)

Immediately

√

Anthrax

Immediately

√

Arboviral Disease (acute disease only including, but not limited to, West Nile virus, eastern and western equine encephalitis, dengue, St. Louis encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and Powassan)